Nothing That Can Be Done
by Aamon
Summary: Sometimes, no matter how much you want to do something, there is nothing that can be done. NaruSaku
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did then we'd have more fighting, less drawn out drabble, and more characters getting it on!

Notes: This is NaruSaku. Takes place in the future. Naruto/Sakura 23 years old. Maybe other pairings. Short for now, but who knows what else I'll do to it.

Synopsis: Sometimes, no matter how much you want to do something, there is nothing that can be done.

Nothing that Can be Done  
by Aamon

The lightning lit the inside of the cave every so often, illuminating the young man who sat clutching a wound upon his stomach. This was no ordinary wound, but a wound in the worst place possible. It was a wound that, quite possibly, could kill not only him but the entire world if it should release the evil within him. Gasping he summoned up his chakra, the evil within him fighting him, needing him to weaken so it could escape. But he was stronger than this beast, and the wound began to heal. Yet the seal was incomplete. There was a small gap, just enough to weaken the rest of the seal. But for now he could contain the beast. For now, but not for long. He had to get help. He was a seal expert now, but even a seal expert couldn't repair a damaged Holy Seal on himself. That would take another.  
He had to go back to the village which abandoned him...and ask the aid of the girl who had abandoned him.

Sakura Haruno gazed out of her window, tilting her hat upward. Twenty three years old, and she had been made the new Hokage. She should have been smiling, beaming out her happiness and joy at the greatest honor the village could bestow upon her. But she felt nothing but guilt and anguish. Being the Rokudaime wasn't her dream. It was the dream of another, a dream she stole from someone.  
"Ahem...paperwork," Shizune said behind her, setting a stack on her desk. She sighed and turned back, tempted to create shadow clones to do the work...but for some reason her shadow clones had horrible spelling. They weren't perfect...in fact anyone who created shadow clones quickly discovered that the clones would always have a flaw. Only one person had ever created a perfect shadow clone.  
She shook her head, banishing the thoughts. There was no point. The past was past, and he was gone. She had sent him away...  
"Has team sixteen returned yet?" she asked as she pulled the first paper off the top of the pile.  
"Not yet."  
"Get team three ready to go look for them," Sakura said, filling out the required fields and placing the paper aside, only to reach for the next one. "Anything else?"  
Shizune looked about ready to say something, then shook her head and left. Sakura paused only a moment before continuing her work. There was too much to do, and she still made rounds at the hospital. It kept her busy, which was what she wanted. She needed excuses, reasons to stay away. Ino would constantly badger her about having a life, Lee would constantly ask her out, even Kiba never stopped hitting on her. She wanted nothing to do but this, endless work and no real time to think about...everything.  
But it never worked. Maybe she should take Ino up on her offer. She'd put on a henge, go out to a bar, find some guy and get drunk with him. Then she'd go to his apartment and wake up there the next morning...the thought made her laugh. Maybe she should...no. She didn't want someone close. She didn't want another connection she would only have to sever. She was a ninja, and ninja were living weapons. Weapons were best left to themselves without attachments.  
She went through the stack, and Shizune brought a half stack and a scroll in.  
"This was delivered just now," Shizune said. "No jutsus or seals."  
Sakura nodded ad unraveled the scroll, her eyes widened as she read the words. Then she quickly performed seals and burnt the scroll up.  
"What was..."  
Sakura stood and took off her Hokage robes. "I'll be back in a few hours," she said, and henged into another form.  
"Wait, where are you going?" she asked, Sakura stopping and turning sad eyes toward her.  
"To see him again. To see the man whose life I ruined and whose dream I stole."  
Shizune gasped, and Sakura vanished.

He was bleeding again...damned fox wouldn't stop. Deep red chakra, nearly the color of blood, rose out of the seal and tried to break him. But he was stronger. More than half of the fox's power was his now. With his own chakra he could wishstand the fox, but not for long. He needed the seal repaired, or he needed to be killed. His chakra pathways had to be destroyed at the heart, cutting the fox off and making it impossible for his boby to sustain itself under any circumstances. It was the only way.  
He felt a familiar aura. Who would have thought he'd really go through with it and ask her help? She had cast the deciding vote in the Council. She had been responsible for his exile, and the Hunters that followed. She had taken his dream away for herself, yet he still couldn't bring himself to hate her. He had every reason to hate her, but he didn't.  
Sakura appeared at the other side of the clearing. Damn, she had grown even more beautiful. Except for the hair and face she was almost the image of Tsunade, though not quite as generously proportioned. But she wore cloths very similar to Tsunade's...Tsunade, he missed her. When she died, part of him had died along with her. Another loss among many losses which had barely left him the person he once was.  
"Naruto..." Sakura said, and was suddenly at a loss for words.  
"I need one of two things from you," he said, and gestured at the seal. "Either fix this or kill me. If you need to kill me, shred my chakra systems at the heart. If the fox has one chance he'll take my body over, so don't miss. Of course, there isn't a guarantee even then, so I'd appreciate if you just try to fix the seal first."  
She swallowed...is that why he called her? He thought she could kill him? Her eyes watered and her throat constricted as an enormous burden of guilt drew her heart down, but she pushed it back and moved closer, studying the seal. There would be time for emotions later. Kneeling, she moved closer to the Holy Seal, brining to the forefront of her mind everything she knew of seals. But this...this was beyond her.  
"Naruto...I don't think I can fix something like that," she said. She didn't even know where to begin. Holy Seals were the exclusive tools of the gods. Only with great sacrifice could a human beg a god to create one.  
Looking up into his eyes, she saw nothing there. No emotions. No disappointment, no panic, and not even resignation.  
"I see. I'll depress my chakra as much as possible to give you a clear shot..."  
"Why?" she asked him, not understanding. "Why do you want me to kill you?"   
"If not you then who?" he asked her.  
She shook her head. "No, Naruto I can't..."  
"Then I'll find someone who can," he said, standing painfully. His legs gave out from underneath him, and Sakura rushed forward to catch him.  
"Don't," he said, pushing her back. "Just don't."  
Now she saw the pain in his eyes, just for a moment. The deep, horrible pain.  
"Why not!" She yelled, suddenly angry. "Why won't you let me?"  
"We both know why," he said evenly. "I mean nothing to you. You made that clear four years ago."  
She looked away, then looked back. "I didn't have a choice. The ANBU were going to kill you. You weren't safe in Konoha..."  
"Don't lie to me!" Naruto yelled. "I know why you did it. We both know why. But at least I tried to bring him back!"  
"I know," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I know you tried. I know I didn't. I was weak and scared. I felt like nothing I could ever do would bring him back," she looked up into his eyes. "I know he's dead."  
Naruto didn't flinch. "Orochimaru killed him."  
Sakura nodded. "I know that too."  
Naruto closed his eyes. "Sakura, I'm only going to say this once more. There was nothing I could do. I said it then, and this will be the last time. There was nothing I could do."  
"Don't you think I know that now!" she cried, sobs wracking her body. Then she fixed her eyes on his, forced her gaze to remain unwavering. "I would give anything to go back to that day, to make that choice again. I would do anything! But I can't...there's nothing I can do."  
He closed his eyes now. "I know. I can't blame you Sakura. I can't even get angry with you about it. There just isn't enough left in me, or maybe I never had that in me to begin with, no matter what anyone says. But it's alright. Let the past be past, I'm through dwelling on it."  
She wanted to hold him, throw her arms around him and never let herself loose him again. But she couldn't. She was the Hokage now, and Naruto was a missing-nin. She was unable to heal his wound...she wasn't able to help him, even if she wanted to. All she wanted right then, at that moment, was to be with him forever. Instead she began charging her fist with chakra, more chakra than she had ever used at once before.  
"I love you Naruto. I wish...I wish I could do something...but I can't."  
"I know. There's nothing that can be done," he said, standing. "Do me one favor Sakura...bury me next to our son."  
She nodded, closing her eyes as her tears blinded her.  
"I love you, always," he said as she rushed forward...

Cliffhanger! I am so evil. But I warn you, this is not going to be a happy ficlet.  
Constructive criticism is welcome. Flames will be used in a big fireball.  
And yes, I know it's short, but give it time.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I alread said this. Go back a page.

Notes: I can't believe someone actually said they _couldn't believe_ I put a cliffhanger right at the best part of the story. Hello, my screen name is DEMONIC in origin! And a cliffhanger isn't much good if you don't cause people to rip out their hair, swear violently, and curse you and your entire family with voodoo dolls.  
Now, here's the best part...I'M NOT LETTING YOU KNOW IF THE PUNCH LANDS YET! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...ok, I admit, that was a bit much.

Chapter 2: Sakura

She had just turned sixteen a few days before when the morning sickness began. Even she, a certified medic trained by Tsunade herself, didn't think much of it till Tsunade pulled her aside. That morning her life changed, and eight months after that it changed even more. Naruto had been a wreck, constantly questioning whether he would be a good father. He was, for a while. Their son had three years of happiness, and parents who loved him and each other...before it ended.  
As her fist flew at Naruto, she remembered that day when she woke up to find herself wrapped tight by a snake, Orochimaru standing over her. He had simply looked at her, no real emotion in his eyes. Even when her Insane Strength tore the snake apart, just before Naruto burst through the wall, there was nothing in those eyes. She remembered them now, how they weren't empty, or hollow, or cold...there had simply been nothing there. Just two eyes, staring at her.  
Their son's cries and the sound of a Chidori followed, yet try as she did Orochimaru vanished before she could get near him. Naruto landed where he had been standing, a gaping hole in his side, already healing in a furry of red chakra. Her eyes turned to Sasuke, holding her son, and at that moment she knew hate as no man ever could. This was the hate of a mother whose child was being taken before her eyes, a hate so powerful that it froze Sasuke for a moment, and there was fear in his Sharingan eyes for the briefest of times. Then he too was gone, and so was her son.  
She raged, she cried, she begged the gods for her son, begged Naruto to bring him back. He and every ANBU and Hunter of Konoha, Suna, and even the Rock joined the search. Yet all that was ever found was the orange scarf Naruto had given to his son on his second birthday, blood soaked and torn.  
Her rage paled in comparison to Naruto's, which was that of a Greater Demon. The Western Wall still bore the scars of his immense outburst of chakra, and the rage that nearly took him over when he returned and was given the scarf. She saw it now, tied to his right arm, still soaked with the dried blood of their son.  
Naruto had been banished soon after, his power terrifying the villagers and the Council more than the thought of Orochimaru having free reign to enter their village and steal their children. Such power was something no shinobi should ever have, not even a grieving father perfectly justified in his pain. In fear and haste the village voted to banish him...and in her grief, she blamed Naruto for failing to bring back their son, just like he failed to bring back Sasuke. She had cast the deciding vote. _She_ abandoned him. _She_ gave up long before he did. Twice had she lost someone she loved to Orochimaru. No...three times now. She had lost Naruto a long time ago...and she would loose him again.  
_If only..._

Part 2 up for my people. Next up, Naruto's thoughts. And yes, I know this is short, but her fist is flying at Naruto's heart...of course it has to be short! Sakura's the Hokage now, her speed is incredible!


End file.
